Four Plus Anima Gods
by lxoxjoanxoxl
Summary: Soothsayers proclaim that the cruel tyrant of Astaria can only be defeated by the Four Anima Gods. But Fire is clueless, Water is a rude pretty boy, Earth is a stoic pervert, and Wind is an insane yaoi fangirl. God help us all. HuskyxCooro


**Four Plus Anima Gods**

**A rewrite of my old chapters, and I hope to refine this story more.**

**This story somewhat follows the rules of the original manga, but at the same time, I will bend them to fit my own needs. You can think of it as an AU. Well . . . It is an AU. But that's not the point.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Anima, and I do wish I did so that the manga would have continued.**

Chapter 1 (rewritten) – The Circus of the Mermaid Princess

Sitting atop a tree branch, the young crow Anima smiled to himself as he ate an apple. He swung his legs back and forth. If one was to look upon him, they would think he had way too much energy in the morning (that is, if they got past the shock that his black wings were on full display). But this was normal for said Anima. He hummed as he enjoyed the warm spring air.

In this world, Astaria, it was dangerous to allow others to know you were an Anima. If you were an Anima, you would most definitely be caught and become a pet or slave. Anima were considered an inferior race, freaks due to genetic mutation. One could only become an Anima by genetic inheritance, which is why some were used for breeding purposes. It was inhumane, but their reasoning was that they were nothing more than animals that could talk. It was alright to them.

Cooro wasn't concerned about being capture though, because he was confident in his wings. He's escaped chains numerous times, hence why he had no issues with displaying the fact that was an Anima. He was told by his adopted father that recklessness would lead him into a lot of trouble, but Cooro never paid attention to his warnings, only his instructions.

Then, a noise caught his attention. Peering downwards, he saw tents, balloons, and banners in the distance. Excitedly, he thought, 'A carnival! I might find something tasty there!'

Standing up, he unfurled his wings and took off.

~::*::*::~

Arriving near the entrance, Cooro stood behind a tree and hid his wings. Stepping out, he looked like any other normal boy . . . err, well, as normal as you could get with his outfit. He sniffed the air, but to his disappointment, there weren't any candied apples as he had hoped. The scent of stale popcorn and soda hung in the air, mixed with the smell of animals. Something caught his eye as he opened them. Walking up to a board, he read the words splayed across the poster:

"LIVE! A REAL MERMAID PRINCESS ON DISPLAY AT THE ASTRO CIRCUS!"

Cooro blinked, staring at the picture of a beautiful girl with a fish tail. His instincts were telling him that this might be genuine. This person might be another . . .

Smiling brightly, he decided to check it out.

~::*::*::~

Inside the circus, the 'mermaid princess' was getting ready for his appearance. Growling with annoyance, Husky put on the wig and adorned himself with pearls. He thought to himself, 'I can't believe I have to put up with this.' Once he was ready, he climbed into the glass sphere and allowed his Anima features to appear. He sat at the bottom of the tank, trying to look as appealing as possible.

The ringmaster walked by the tank, followed by his right-hand man (who was busy doing calculations, no doubt about how much profit they were going to make). The ringmaster smiled condescendingly, "We have a big crowd today, so I want everything to go smoothly, understand my mermaid princess?"

Husky bit back a distasteful retort and nodded stiffly. Eyeing the locket around the fat man's neck, he followed the ringmaster's form as he pushed the red curtains aside to stand upon the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Astro Circus! We all know what you really want to see, so we'll skip the needless waiting!"

The crowd cheered and applauded.

"Without any further ado, I present to you . . . the mermaid princess!"

The curtains parted and the audience gazed upon Husky, who batted his eyelashes and smiled seductively.

The ringmaster warned the audience, "Beware, if you stare into her eyes for too long, you'll fall under her spell."

The audience gasped and shifted their gaze from Husky's silver eyes. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he settled for moving his tail back and forth slowly. Idly, his gaze travelled around the tent, where something caught his eye. His eyes widening, Husky saw a boy with wild, black hair and goggles on his head peeping through the seams of the tent.

The boy was staring right into his eyes, unafraid. Husky thought, 'Isn't he scared to 'fall under my spell?' Or is he smarter than the rest of these monkeys?'

The ringmaster noticed Husky was looking at something intently and followed his line of perception. He caught sight of Cooro and yelled, "Hey, you! You have to pay for this show!"

Cooro, who had been too caught up in the fact that he found another Anima, realized that he had been found out. He panicked and struggled to get free, but he was stuck. It was too late anyways, the other workers in the circus had trapped him already. Grabbing Cooro, they pulled him free and held onto either arm.

The ringmaster strode up to Cooro, furious. He bellowed, "No looking without paying!"

Knowing it was time to run away, Cooro sprouted his wings. A collective gasp was heard from the audience and the circus members. Their grip on him lessened and Cooro took advantage of that, flying upwards. He apologized, "Sorry for not paying!"

All while this was happening, Husky was staring in shock, 'He's an Anima too!'

Because Cooro was fixated on the ringmaster, he failed to notice that there was nothing to escape through. He crashed into the tent, causing everything to tumble down.

Everyone panicked and ran around, trying to get out from under the tent. Amid the confusion, Cooro crawled out from under the tent and let out a sigh of relief, ready to take off. He then noticed a shadow over him and turned around to see a boy holding a large pole. The first thing he noticed was the boy's eyes, which were as clear and beautiful as the mermaid princess's, 'Who is-?'

He never finished his thought, as the pole was brought down upon him, rendering him unconscious.

~::*::*::~

Husky had dragged the boy to a tent with a bed, where he was to be held captive. Two guards were outside to ensure that he wouldn't run away.

The ringmaster said joyously, "What luck, finding another Anima! He'll make us a nice, tidy profit. Along with you, the Astro Circus will be soon known world-wide!"

The pendant dangled right before Husky's eyes. He tried to grab it, but in the same second he reached his arm out, the ringmaster caught it. He laughed, "Work harder, Husky." With that, he exited the tent.

Husky gritted his teeth in frustration and despair. Grabbing a pillow, he tossed it against a closet, trying to let off steam, 'Damn it all!'

"So, your name is Husky?"

Husky turned around, surprised, "You were awake?"

The boy nodded, "I didn't say thing though 'cause it felt a bit awkward with that man around." Getting up he smiled brightly, "Anyways, I'm Cooro, an Anima just like you!"

Husky commented, "I could tell from—Wait, how did you know I was an Anima?"

Cooro tilted his head, "You're the mermaid princess, right?" He smiled, "I can sense the Anima in others, and I could tell you were a fish Anima, not a mermaid."

Husky flushed. Great, this kid knew that he was . . . He turned his head to the side with the blush still prominent on his face, "I-I don't cross dress because I want to!"

Cooro blinked and then grabbed Husky's hands with an eager look, "Then, travel with me!"

"Eh?"

Cooro reasoned, "If you don't like it here, then come with me! We'll go where and when we please! Anima like us need to stick together anyways."

Husky pulled his hand away, "Sorry, but I'll decline. I get a lot of money and pearls. It's more profitable than travelling around and sleeping on the hard ground."

Cooro looked crest-fallen, "You really don't want to come with me?"

Husky nearly caved in at Cooro's kicked-dog look. However, he shook his head still, "Sorry."

Cooro looked down, "Ok . . ." Looking back up, he had a smile fixed on his face, "I'll be staying here until I pay off my debt, right?"

Knowing the ringmaster, even after Cooro paid off his debt, he wouldn't be free. However, Husky bit his lip and nodded.

Cooro smiled, "Pleased to work with you!"

~::*::*::~

In the middle of the night, Husky paid a visit to the ringmaster's tent. He couldn't take it anymore, he was getting out of this hellhole tonight! And . . . maybe that kid could come along . . . Slipping into the tent quietly, he saw the man sleeping with a bag of money. Husky's eye twitched slightly in annoyance, 'Freaking greedy old geezer.' He spied the object of his desire, the locket, on the table stand next to the ringmaster. Making a reach for it, he was stopped by a hand.

Jumping slightly, Husky turned to see the ringmaster fully awake. Behind him, he heard footsteps entering the tent and knew that two guards had come in. Cursing inwardly, Husky realized it was a trap from the start. The ringmaster laughed, "I knew you'd attempt something like this. Trying to run away with the other Anima kid, are you? Well, too bad. You're not going anywhere, my little mermaid princess."

The two guards grabbed onto each of Husky's arms and restrained him. Husky was lifted in the air, kicking and protesting all the while. He screamed, "Let me go!"

The ringmaster and guards ignored him as they walked into the main tent, which was had been set up for tomorrow's performance. In the back, there was the glass globe that Husky had stayed in, except there was a stake in the middle of the globe and ropes littered the floor. Climbing into the globe through a ladder, the guards swiftly tied Husky with the ropes and fixed the wig onto him. They then got out and removed the ladder, signaling for the ringmaster to start filling the globe with water.

The ringmaster pulled a lever and water began to fill the globe at an alarmingly fast with. Left with no choice, Husky was forced into his Anima form. The ringmaster smiled menacingly, "Let the show begin."

The water around Husky stirred violently even after it was done filling up, but it stopped after Husky stopped struggling.

~::*::*::~

The next morning, Cooro was called to the main tent. He went in and saw the ringmaster. The ringmaster noticed him and waved to him with a bright smile, "Good morning Cooro, how are you?"

Cooro frowned, tugging at the clothes he had to change into, "What's with these clothes? They're a little tight for my liking." He especially pulled at the belt around his waist.

The ringmaster smiled, "I think it suits you very well."

Cooro heard a gurgle and noticed the water sphere in the back, "Husky?" He ran over and placed his hands on the sphere, "Why is he tied up to that pole?"

The ringmaster patted Cooro's shoulder reassuringly, "It's all just part of the act. You see, you're going to be the messenger of death who captures the mermaid princess of the blue sea! Just follow our cues and it'll be fine."

Cooro said, "Oh really . . ?" He glanced at Husky, as if looking for reassurance.

Husky glared desperately, trying to send across the message that he was really being held against his will. He was met with a blank stare, so Husky looked away, defeated.

~::*::*::~

Once the people had been settled in, the ringmaster said, "Ladies and gentleman, are you ready for act two?"

The crowd cheered as the curtains were pulled aside. The ringmaster announced, "Behold, the messenger of death, who has captured the beautiful mermaid princess!"

The light shone upon Cooro, who stood upon the center of the stage with his wings outstretched. He stood next to the glass sphere, where Husky hung limply against his bonds. The crowd was in awe once again.

Cooro looked at the crowd, Husky, the ringmaster, and then started tearing up. He cried, "Uwah!"

The audience was naturally surprised.

"Is this part of the act?"

"Why is the messenger of death crying?"

The ringmaster ran up to Cooro, "Hey, stop that! What's wrong?"

Cooro clung onto the ringmaster, "How could you tie Husky up against his will?"

The ringmaster looked flustered and confused, "What are you talking about? It's just pretend!"

Cooro buried his face in the ringmaster's shirt, "No, it isn't! Husky's in pain, I can hear him crying!"

Husky looked surprised, 'Cooro, you actually got my message?'

People in the crowd started whispering:

"That guy's holding the mermaid princess against her will?"

"What a slimeball!"

"Oh please, they're just Anima, who cares?"

"No, the girl is definitely a mermaid!"

The ringmaster looked at audience and tried to salvage what was left of his reputation, "N-no, you've got it all wrong! It's only pretend!" He felt a tug at his neck and looked down to see Cooro with a locket in his mouth.

"Got it!"  
He flapped his wings and flew up high, "The messenger of death fell in love with mermaid maid princess and they decided to run away together!" He pulled back the pole supporting the glass globe, causing it to tip over and shatter.

Husky screamed, but had only a few cuts on his arm. He struggled against the pole, reverting back to his human form.

The ringmaster snarled, "You brat! Get them!"

Cooro landed next to Husky, "Are you ok?"

Husky nodded, "Nothing too bad."

The workers of the circus surrounded them.

Husky hissed at Cooro, "But you took too long, we're already surrounded! How are we going to get out of this mess now?"

Cooro smiled, "It'll be ok, I'm here after all!"

Husky stared at Cooro in confusion.

Cooro wrapped his arms around Husky's waist and lifted them upwards. Husky let out a surprised scream, his arms reaching for the solid earth beneath him. Cooro said with a cheeky smile, "Bye bye!"

With that, they flew away, leaving behind a furious ringmaster and a battered circus.

~::*::*::~

They had flown far enough from the circus (even though Husky could still seen it on the horizon), and by that point, Husky had gotten more accustomed to the sensation of flying. It even . . . felt pleasant. But, he realized something was very wrong . . .

"Cooro, flap your wings! The lake is getting closer!" Husky yelled.

Cooro huffed, spent, "I can't . . . too tired."

They fell headfirst into the lake. Husky transformed into his Anima instinctively, and looked over to see Cooro sinking. He swam down to fetch Cooro and dragged him back to the surface. Finding a flat rock, he deposited Cooro on it and checked to make sure Cooro was still breathing. To his relief, Cooro's heart-rate seemed normal, if a little fast (but that was to be expected). But to be safe, he pressed down on Cooro's chest, trying to pump any water that may be in his lungs out of him.

With a small splutter, Cooro sat up, coughing up water. He wiped his mouth when he had stopped coughing.

Husky asked, "Are you ok?"

Cooro wheezed, "Yeah, I just never had to carry something so heavy before."

Husky was not amused, "Heavy?"

Cooro, ignoring Husky's outburst, reached into his pocket and took out the locket, "Before I forget, this is your locket right?"

Husky looked surprised before he remembered that Cooro had taken this from the ringmaster before they escaped. With a fond smile, he took the locket and opened it. Inside were pearl earrings, which he put on.

Cooro said, "Oh, so they were earrings?" He asked, "Are they really valuable?"

Husky nodded, "Monetary-wise, they'd fetch a high price. But that's not the reason they're so precious to me. My mother gave these to me as a birthday present." The water shimmered in the light. Along with the sparkling pearls, it was a breath-taking and serene scene.

Cooro replied, "Your mother, huh?" He smiled gently, almost sadly.

Husky stared at Cooro for a bit, noticing the melancholic undertone in Cooro's voice. But when he met Cooro's eyes, he blushed and turned away, "A-anyways, thank you for getting back my pearls. Is there . . . any way I could re—"

Cooro's stomach growled at that point, and Cooro laughed sheepishly.

Husky, slightly annoyed at being interrupted, said, "I'll repay you by catching some fish for you then." He waved a finger at Cooro's face, "But I'm only doing this so I'm not in debt to you, got it?"

Cooro cheered, "Fish! I love smoked salmon!"

". . . Forget it, you're not even listening."

Cooro smiled, "And in return, I'll take you flying again!"

Husky yelled, "I don't need it, and I'm never going to fly with you ever again anyways!"

Cooro said, "But—"

"Never again!" Husky dove beneath the water.

~::*::*::~

Later, after Husky had caught enough fish, they had a fire going. After cooking his fish, Cooro ate eagerly but carelessly. Husky tried to ignore the boy next to him, knowing that watching Cooro eat would cause him to lose his appetite.

"What are you going to do now?"

Husky's head snapped towards Cooro's direction, slightly startled at the question that had interrupted the peaceful silence. He said slowly, "I . . . don't know. It's not as if I had anywhere to go, but all I know that anywhere is better than that circus."

Cooro asked, "Then, if you have nowhere to go, travel with me then! Two is better than one, right?"

Husky looked at Cooro's bright face, wondering, 'Is . . . this what it's like to have a friend?' He said, ". . . Fine, I'll come with you."

Cooro cheered, throwing his arms in the air, "Yay, thank you Husky!" He pulled Husky into a tight hug.

The fish Anima spluttered, his face bright red, "L-let me go!"

Cooro released Husky and said, "Let's have the best adventures together!"

Husky, caught up in Cooro's exuberance, gave him a small smile, "Yeah."

The fire crackled merrily, the shadows dancing around the two smiling boys.


End file.
